This summer I've been working with the MP .360-640 HP, which weighs 146 grains when cast nice and soft with 30-1 alloy. Initially, my justification for doing this was to get a HP light enough and soft enough to go fast enough to expand when shot from a 2-3" .38 Special snubby at standard pressures (not all snubbies can handle a steady diet of +P ammunition), and yet still heavy enough to shoot to the sights in fixed sight carry guns. I like to take my carry guns along on summer varmint hunting trips, and the MP .360-640 HP cast soft loaded over 6.9 grains of HS-6 will generate 875-925 fps from 2-4" revolvers (at about 15,000 CUP), and shoot to the sights. Shooting varmints with your carry guns is a great way to practice, gain experience, and build confidence with a snubby (not to mention honing your stalking skills since you'll need to get moderately close).
But I had an ulterior motive for working with the 146 grain MP .360-640 HP at standard .38 Special pressures. About 20 years ago, I bought a S&W M&P Model 1905 Target (second change). This gun was made around 1908, and has some scratches and dings, and is missing some bluing in places, but mechanically it’s tight, and the bore and cylinder are in excellent shape. This gun was made before S&W started heat-treating cylinders and barrels, so this gun gets shot with standard pressure cast bullet loads ONLY (NO +P or jacketed bullets). This 146 HP/6.9 HS-6 load is well-suited for this accurate old gun. I haven’t chronographed this load/gun combination yet, but it should be going just a hair over 950 fps. An old school varmint blaster, pre-WWI style!
At some point in the past, some unknown gunsmith did a really nice action job on this revolver. SA is very crisp, and breaks cleanly at 2 lbs 3 oz. DA is butter smooth, start to finish, and averages 8 lbs. 4 oz.
. I have plenty of appropriate lubes I can use as needed.
